Trust Me
by Alcandre
Summary: Trust never came easily to Emma. Her walls she had built around herself protected her from heartache but also from love. And it's going to take something magical to break those walls apart.
1. Chapter 1

Well, it's been a while but I'm back with a new story. And a story in a new category. How exciting.

This story takes place right after Emma and gang leave the beanstalk with Hook still hanging out with the giant. It really focuses on Emma and Snow's relationship (since that is such a complex one).

A special thanks to my beta, Laura, who even though she is hundreds of miles away from me will still continue to go through my stories with a fine tooth comb. Love ya, girlie and I can't wait to see you on Christmas!

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She'd always had an issue with trust. It just didn't come easily to her. All her life she would meet someone (a perfectly nice someone) and she would keep herself closed off. She blamed her childhood, first and foremost. She was moved around so much between foster families, promised that _this_ time was the last, promised that she was loved and would never be given up. And each and every time, that trust she gave, that belief she allowed herself to feel, was broken. And not just broken but stomped on and ground into the floor with glee.

So, she learned. She learned to take anything said to her with a grain of salt, especially if they were promises or pleas for her to trust them. And after what happened 11 years ago, well that certainly made her even more wary.

"Emma?"

The voice was her mother's. The person who used to be her best friend. But was now the person who gave her up all those years ago and started her trust issues.

"Yeah?"

A huff came from beside her, be it a huff of frustration or a huff from trying to catch up with her fast pace, Emma didn't know.

"What happened up there?" Snow asked, her hair still disheveled from her struggle with Mulan.

"Fought a giant, made peace with a giant, got the compass, and came back." All of this was said without even a glance toward the other woman.

"But what about Hook?" her mother asked, still trying to keep up with Emma's long strides.

"He's being detained."

"Being- what do you mean by that?"

Emma glanced over at Snow and gave a slight smirk at the shocked expression on her mother's face.

"I mean that we have a little bit of time to get to where we need to be. He won't be bothering us."

"How? I mean, why?"

"Why?" Emma asked. "Are you really asking me _why_ I left him up there?"

Snow shrugged as she grabbed her daughter's leather clad arm. It slowed Emma down enough so that Snow wasn't using so much energy trying to keep up. "It seems so…cold. There's a giant up there!"

Emma shrugged Snow's hand off her arm but kept her pace slower. Snow shot her a slight look of gratitude, which Emma replied to with a slight grin. "I find it interesting that you feel bad for a man you just met and don't even trust yourself."

"But to leave him up there! With a giant!"

"Who owed me a favor." At Snow's raised eyebrow, Emma explained. "I didn't kill him."

"Oh…" Snow bit her lower lip. "Okay. Well, that was certainly nice of you."

"Yeah, well, my heart just breaks at a big pair of puppy eyes."

Snow grinned.

"I asked him to watch Hook after I locked him up."

"You locked Hook up?"

"Yeah, so he wouldn't follow us."

Snow gave a growl of frustration. "I swear, it is like pulling teeth!"

Emma smirked. "I don't trust Hook. So, I left him."

Snow opened her mouth to continue pulling the story from her daughter when Mulan's voice interrupted.

"I hear a stream nearby," the female warrior stated, veering off to the left.

Emma glanced at Snow with raised eyebrows. Her mother just shrugged and followed Mulan and Aurora towards the sound of gently moving water.

As the four ladies knelt next to the stream to fill up their waterskins, Snow looked over at her daughter. She was beautiful. Getting her blonde hair and height from her father made her into a very desirable young woman. But as Mary Margaret stated not long ago, Emma had walls built around her. She rarely let anyone past those walls - Henry and Mary Margaret being the exceptions. Of course, now that Mary Margaret was suddenly her mother, that had changed. Emma didn't seem to smile as widely and her eyes held a hint of hesitation as well as a little fear when she looked at Snow.

And that hurt.

"You have issues with trust, don't you?"

The question came out without her permission. And she knew it showed on her face that she certainly didn't mean to blurt that out.

"What?" Emma asked, whipping her head around to stare wide-eyed at her mother.

Snow decided she was already knee-deep in, she may as well dive in the rest of the way. "Trust," she said very matter-of-factly. "You don't do it well."

"Oh, I trust well enough," Emma stated, looking back at her waterskin as it slowly filled with water. "I just don't give it out freely."

"Try not at all," Snow muttered.

"Hey!" Emma exclaimed. "I trust people! They just have to earn it!"

"It must take a lot," Snow said as they stood up.

"Why do you say that?"

Snow scratched the side of her nose. "Well, I think the only one you really trust is Henry."

"That's not true!" Emma proclaimed as she brought the waterskin to her mouth to take a sip. "I trust you." She then took a large gulp of the water.

"You trust _me_?" Snow asked, her eyes wide and full of hope.

"Of course! You're-"

Whatever Emma was about to say was cut off by a sharp pain radiating out from her stomach. She gasped and dropped the waterskin, her arms automatically wrapping around her middle as she fell to the ground.

"Emma?!" Snow shouted, dropping beside her daughter.

Snow White's scream prompted Mulan and Aurora to come running.

"What is it?" Mulan asked, dropping to her knees on the other side of the blonde.

"I don't know," Snow said as she pulled Emma into her arms. Emma gave a slight struggle as another hot stab of pain went through her. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and her green eyes were squeezed shut.

Mulan suddenly stood up and strode over to the stream. Aurora quickly took her place beside Emma and offered moral support to the mother frantically trying to comfort her daughter.

"It's the water," Mulan said as she came back to the trio.

"The water?" Aurora asked right as Emma gave a loud groan of pain and buried her face into Snow's shoulder.

"It's enchanted."

"Enchanted?" Snow asked sharply. "With what?"

"I don't know," Mulan said, her face plainly showing how upset she was about this.

Before Snow could throw a sharp retort towards Mulan, Emma suddenly pushed away from Snow and fell to her back, her arms still wrapped around her stomach.

Right as she hit the ground, a thick cloud engulfed her and a bright flash of light caused the other women to shield their eyes.

A couple of seconds passed before a shuffling sound from where Emma had fallen prompted Snow to open her eyes. And she gasped at what she saw.

There on the ground where her daughter should have been was a small, blonde girl who looked to be between the ages of 5 or 6. She was curled into a ball with her face buried in her arms.

"Who is that?" Aurora asked.

At the sound of her voice, the little girl lifted her head, her green eyes wide and full of fear. And at the sight of those eyes, Snow gave another gasp.

"Emma?"

To be continued…

Please, please leave a review! I love them. I live off them. In fact, the more reviews I get, the faster I get the next part up. No joke, reviews motivate me!


	2. Chapter 2

Aaaannnnnd here it is. Chapter 2! I had such an overwhelming response to the first chapter I just had to go ahead and get this one up. I wrote it at work and typed it at home. I think my cats are mad at me because the only time I talked to them was when I was practicing dialogue. Either that or they think I'm crazy. Probably both.

Again, I want to thank Laura for being such an awesome beta. She's been my beta for about 10 years now and we are still going strong. She catches things that I wouldn't have noticed and she gives me a second opinion on how the story flows. She is amazing! So, I want everyone to give her a great big round of applause.

Also, I completely forgot to do this in the last chapter so this counts for both. I do not own "Once Upon a Time" or its characters. I am broke. If I did own the show, things may be happening that wouldn't make it appropriate for prime time. ;)

A little side note: This story is not "action packed". It is an emotional piece that I felt needed to be written. It focuses on the relationship between Emma and Snow. In fact, this may be considered a "chick fic". Bwahaha, you see what I did there!?

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The little girl started at Snow's voice and actually uncurled herself and scooted away from the three women.

Snow slowly inched closer to the girl, making sure to not make any quick movements so the girl wouldn't spook. But that wasn't very hard for a woman like Snow White. She could get wild animals to eat directly from her hand without even trying.

"Emma?"

The little girl blinked and scowled. "How do you know my name?" she asked, her high voice raspy as if it hadn't been used in a while.

Snow opened her mouth to reply with the standard, "I'm your mother" but something held her back. Maybe it was the fear in those green eyes or the slight scowl on her face that matched the scowl Snow had seen many times on 28-year-old Emma. But the thing that probably held her tongue the most was the black eye and the large hand-shaped bruise on her neck.

"Who are you?" Little Emma asked, her large eyes taking in the three women a few feet away from her. "And where am I?"

Snow swallowed the tears that threatened to rush forward and plastered a smile on her face. This was her baby girl. And she was scared and hurt. It was Snow's job to comfort her. "My name is Snow White. This is Mulan and Aurora. We're friends."

Emma narrowed her eyes and studied Snow carefully. "You have a weird name," she finally stated to Snow.

Snow laughed, loving the fact that little Emma was just as blunt as her adult daughter.

"That's Emma?" Aurora asked Mulan in a whisper.

Mulan shrugged. "Apparently." She glanced back at the stream. "Now that I think about it, I believe I have heard of an enchanted stream that targets the drinker's weakest point, like lying, gluttony, or something along those lines."

"What did it target in Emma?"

"Her inability to trust," Snow said, turning towards them. Emma was now on her knees, examining Snow's bow while her green eyes kept darting over to glance at Aurora and Mulan.

"How do you know?" Aurora asked, slowly making her way closer to the pair.

"Call it a hunch," Snow said before turning back to her daughter. "Emma."

Emma jumped as if burned and drew her hand back from Snow's bow. "Yeah?" she asked, eyeing the brunette.

"Yes, ma'am," Snow corrected automatically.

Emma just stared at her.

The brunette sighed and shook her head. "Emma, do you remember what happened before you saw us?"

Emma studied Snow's face and then looked past her to Mulan and Aurora. She finally shrugged. "I dunno."

"Emma," Snow softly placed her hand on top of Emma's. The little girl flinched but kept her hand under Snow's. "You can tell me."

Emma seemed to look deep into Snow's eyes, like she was searching for something. Finally, she spoke.

"I'll tell you." She looked past Snow again at the other women. "But not them."

Snow didn't know if she should shout with happiness because her daughter was showing a little trust in her or cry at the distrust she was showing towards her two friends. So, instead she opted for a small smile. And to her surprise, an almost invisible smile appeared on Emma's face.

"Mulan and Aurora can go look for…" Snow trailed off as she frantically thought of some excuse to get the two women somewhere else so Emma would talk to her.

"Firewood!" Aurora practically shouted. "We'll go look for firewood!" With that, she pulled the warrior into the woods by her arm, Mulan looking slightly confused but allowing herself to be led away.

Snow turned back to Emma and smiled again at the little girl. "Ready to talk?"

Emma snatched her hand back from the bow again and shrugged, her bruised face pointed at the ground and her little shoulders slumped.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Snow asked gently putting her arm around her daughter's shoulders.

She felt Emma tense but then slowly relax when she realized Snow wasn't going to do any more. "I'm fine."

"Really? You look kind of scared."

"I'm not scared!" Emma said strongly, finally looking up. Her green eyes flashed with something close to indignation.

"So, you're okay with looking up and suddenly seeing three women in front of you?"

"It's better than seeing Charlie in front of me!"

"Charlie? Who is that?"

The fear entered Emma's eyes again. They darted around, as if looking for some sort of monster.

"Emma, who's Charlie?" Snow asked in a firmer tone.

Emma looked back at Snow and bit her lower lip.

"Emma, you don't have to be scared. I won't let anyone hurt you." Emma still looked wary. "I promise."

Green eyes widened and then narrowed. "A promise doesn't mean anything," Emma said harshly.

"What do you mean by that?"

Emma shrugged Snow's arm off her shoulders and scooted away from her. She wrapped her arms around herself and pulled her knees up to her chin. "I mean that promises are stupid," she huffed. "People make them just to get people to do what they want!" She buried her face in her knees. "Charlie promises he won't hurt me, Liz promises she won't let him hurt me. Promises don't mean anything."

Snow's heart crumbled at the broken tone in Emma's voice. This little girl had already learned how cruel life was and how there just seemed to be no hope left for her. The older woman slowly scooted over to Emma and very gently wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Emma, I want to tell you something and it isn't a promise."

Emma lifted her head, revealing tears that were rolling down her pale cheeks. "What?"

"I love you."

Emma jerked back, her face suddenly angry. "No you don't! Nobody loves me!"

"I do."

"How? You don't even know me!" She wiped her face off with her sleeve.

"Sweetie-"

Emma glared at Snow. "I don't know you. I've never seen you before. Who are you?"

"A friend. And someone who loves you."

Emma looked deep into Snow's eyes for a while, searching…for something. What, Snow didn't know. Finally, Emma nodded as if she had finally reached a conclusion.

"The family I live with hates me."

That knocked Snow off her guard but she quickly gathered herself and rubbed Emma's back.

"Why do you think that, Sweetie?"

Emma blinked. "They tell me."

"Oh, Emma." Snow pulled the little girl into her arms. It made so much sense now. Emma's childhood was far from a good childhood.

Her daughter's hardened exterior and strong walls had made it all so clear.

To be continued…

Review, please! You saw how fast those other reviews got this chapter up! Let's do it again!


	3. Chapter 3

So here it is. The next and final part of "Trust Me". When I started this story a few weeks ago I knew it wasn't going to be long. It's not an epic. It's a short, heartwarming story that focuses on Snow and Emma and their relationship. Now, depending on where the show goes from here, I may write a second part. I really want to throw James into this in some way. He's just too cute to not have confused. LOL

Thank you to everyone who reviewed. And who favorited me or the story. You guys are so very awesome! I have just been blown away by the response to this story. And expect more from me in the future! This show is my new favorite. And Emma rocks! And so does Regina. So, my Christmas fic (a sort of sequel to my Thanksgiving one) may have more Regina. We'll see.

And again, a huge thank you to Laura. You…are…so…awesome!

I don't own Once Upon a Time. Done.

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They sat in silence while Snow allowed Emma a little time to herself. And Snow also used that time to gather her thoughts. Her daughter's childhood was her fault (in a way). Not that anyone at home would say that. Emma saved them all. But a part of Snow felt horribly guilty. And that part wanted to make things right for her daughter, even if it was 28 years too late.

A few minutes had passed and Snow felt she was ready to continue but she wanted to make sure Emma was.

"Do you think you can tell me about your foster family, Emma?"

Silence was her answer.

"I won't tell anybody, sweetie. And I won't let anyone hurt you."

She thought she was going to have to go a different route (which one, she didn't know) until Emma's little voice was heard.

"Charlie is my foster-daddy." Emma's voice was slightly muffled but Snow heard her clearly.

"Does he hurt you?"

The blonde head nodded.

"What does he do?"

A sniff came from her daughter.

"Emma?"

"He's mean. He throws things at me and hits me!" Emma lifted her head and looked Snow in the eyes. The older woman couldn't resist any longer and gently wiped Emma's tears off her cheeks with her thumbs, being extra careful around the black eye.

"Did he do this to you?"

Another nod and sniff from Emma answered the question.

"Who's Liz?"

"My foster-mommy. She laughs at me."

"When does she laugh at you?"

"When I fall or say something stupid."

"She laughs when you say something stupid?"

"Uh-huh," Emma snuggled in Snow's arms, seeming to take comfort in the warmth of an embrace from someone she didn't know. "Like, this one time, I asked her why the sky was blue but the clouds were white and she laughed and said I was stupid since I didn't know."

Snow had never wanted to hurt someone so much as she did this Liz woman; not even Regina. "You know what, Emma?"

"What?"

"_I _don't know why the sky is blue and the clouds are white."

Emma's eyes widened. "You don't?"

Snow shook her head. "Nope. So, that must make me stupid, too, huh?"

"No!" Emma said vehemently. "You aren't stupid! You're smart and pretty!" A cute blush flared up on the blonde's pale cheeks, making Snow smile.

"Well, thank you, Emma. I think you are smart and pretty as well."

The blush grew darker and Emma's face moved back into that familiar scowl. "I'm not pretty _or_ smart," she muttered. "At least not as pretty and smart as you."

"Oh, Emma." Snow tightened her hold on the girl. "You are perfect just as you are. I think you are the prettiest and smartest girl I have ever met."

Emma studied Snow's face, her brow furrowed and her little mouth drawn into a straight line. Snow started to worry that she had somehow offended the girl when Emma suddenly spoke again.

"Will you be my forever-mommy?"

Snow couldn't keep the tears at bay. They spilled down her cheeks and fell onto her shirt, leaving little wet spots.

Emma frowned and tried to untangle herself from Snow's arms. "If you didn't want me, you shouldn't have said that you thought I was pretty." The scowl returned. "That was mean."

"No," Snow gasped, pulling Emma back to her. "No, sweetie. I _do_ want you, very much."

Confusion entered the green eyes. "Then why are you crying?" The eyes widened. "I didn't mean to make you cry!" Tears started to gather again. "I can't help that I'm bad!"

"Emma, no! You aren't bad! You are good. In fact, you are better than good. You're perfect." Snow tightened her embrace on the girl. "I will be your forever-mommy."

"You will?" For the first time, Snow actually saw hope in her daughter's eyes. They sparkled with it and her entire face seemed to be glowing. "Can I call you Mama?"

"I would love it if you called me Mama."

The smile Emma gave was huge. It covered her face and she seemed to wiggle her whole body with excitement. "Can I have a forever-daddy, too?"

Snow's smile matched her daughter's. "Certainly. His name is James."

"James?" Emma wrinkled her nose in a very comical way. "That's such a boring name. Not a neat name like yours."

Snow chuckled and gave Emma a quick kiss on the cheek.

At that moment, Aurora and Mulan appeared from the woods, both with sticks of various shapes and sizes in their arms. At seeing Emma basically sitting in Snow's lap, Aurora's face broke into a smile and Mulan even cracked a grin.

"Hi!" Emma said with excitement. She jumped up and ran over to the two other women. When she neared them, Aurora handed her sticks to Mulan (who took them without complaint but looked slightly startled at the action) and knelt so she was eye level with the grinning child.

"My name's Emma!" she said. "And that's my mama!" She pointed behind her to Snow, who was slowly standing up just to keep her daughter close to her. "Are you my aunts?"

"Well, not really," Aurora said.

Emma's face fell a little and Mulan quickly jumped in.

"But we are friends with your mama," she said. "That's almost like being aunts."

Emma looked over her shoulder at her mother, who had just placed a gentle arm around her.

"You can call them your aunts, Sweetie. I bet they won't mind."

If it was possible, Emma's smile grew. "Then we can all be a family?"

The three women nodded.

"And you won't give me away?"

Serious expressions replaced the smiles but nods were given again.

"So, now I have a forever-family!" Emma looked into Snow's eyes and threw her arms around her mother's legs.

Snow bent and picked her daughter up, settling the little girl on her hip. "Emma, I want to tell you something and I want you to remember that I would never lie to you. Can you do that?" The little blonde seemed to sense the sudden seriousness of the situation and nodded. Snow smiled and looked her daughter in the eyes. "I will never, ever, ever again give you away. I promise."

Emma jerked at the last two words but continued to study her mother's expression.

"Can I trust you with this?"

Emma slowly nodded. "Yeah, I trust you. You won't leave me."

Snow tightened her grasp on her daughter and squeezed her eyes shut when she felt small arms wrap around her. It wasn't until she heard a gasp from Aurora that she opened her eyes again.

The first thing she noticed was that the slight weight of her daughter's body on her hip was gone. She then noticed that the shoulder her chin was resting on was slightly larger than that of a 5 or 6-year-old girl. And finally, she noticed that the strength of the arms around her did not equal that of a little, probably malnourished girl. She quickly pulled back and was met with the very adult face of Emma Swan.

"Emma?"

"Hey, Mom." This was said with the same smirk Snow was so used to seeing on her daughter. But there was something different in the green eyes before her. "You still up for being my forever-mommy?"

There it was. That's what was different. The wall was gone. Snow was looking straight into Emma's eyes with no barrier between them.

"Oh, Emma!" Snow pulled Emma back to her. "I will be whatever you want me to be."

"My forever-mommy is fine," Emma said into Snow's neck. She pulled back and looked over at Aurora (who was happily crying) and Mulan (who was grinning with her arms still loaded with firewood). "As long as these two will still be my aunts."

Snow laughed while the other two ladies nodded.

"And you have to promise," Emma said, turning back to Snow. "That I can tell James he has to be my forever-daddy when we get back."

"Emma, I can already promise you that he will agree to whatever you say."

Emma grinned at Snow. "Thank you," she said, saying even more with her eyes.

Snow grabbed Emma's hand and gave it a squeeze. "It was definitely my pleasure, sweetie."

Emma just continued grinning and then gave a quick slap on her thigh with her free hand. "Well, we need to get going. This little detour has made the gap between us and Hook a little smaller."

The group quickly gathered themselves and their belongings, throwing the firewood back into the forest since it wasn't really needed at the moment, and they set off again, Emma and Snow in the lead with Mulan and Aurora right behind.

"Hey, Mom," Emma said loud enough for Aurora and Mulan to hear.

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"Do you promise to love me forever?"

"Of course!"

A smirk appeared on Emma's face. "Then if you really love me, you'll get me a pony for my birthday."

Snow's laughter echoed through the forest as the four companions continued their quest to find a way home. Emma and the other two women quickly joined in, their group camaraderie showing a level of trust that hadn't been there before. And all because of some magical water.

The End

Thanks again, guys! I love each and every one of you!


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